“Can we talk about the nature of reality?” Agent Fox Mulder asks. “Do you believe that thoughts have mass? That ideas such as faith and forgiveness have weight much the same way [that] this desk (knocks on desk) has weight, or any material, really? … [These are] legitimate question[s].”

Mulder’s young fellow agent, a rational materialist, answers that when she stands on a scale and thinks about ice cream, she doesn’t gain weight.

Mulder then asks about whether words have weight – “the weight to move people to go kill other people.” She answers, “Words themselves are not lethal …” [Only] “people kill people.” But “words can incite people to kill people.”

Note: Let’s not confuse the physical sciences with the social sciences and with metaphysics. Words, thoughts, faith, and forgiveness are weighty in the sense that they have importance. Notice how we borrow a word, weighty, from the physical world to describe something that comes from our minds and hearts. Similarly, “to move people.”

In an early episode – perhaps even in the pilot – U.S. Marshall Mary Shannon wants to relax next to her pool. She has tried to leave behind her boorish, hick background, but her mooching mother and sister have run away from a jammed-up situation to stay with her “awhile.”

Mary tries to be the adult in a relationship with a mother who has never grown up. Mary’s negotiating with Jinx (her mother) develops into a noisy squabble.

Jinx realizes that neighbors might hear their raised voices, and their poor behavior may reflect badly on them.

“Shhh.” Jinx tries to lower the noise level – which is really her own noise level.

“People will think that we’re trailer trash,” Jinx squawks.

Mary’s rejoinder is lame. The writers were having a bad day. (I have forgotten what the response was.)

Mary’s telling response could have been, “But Mom, we are trailer trash.”